Void Jigsaw Puzzle

After the car passed the Sanduping area, the road immediately became much smoother.

The moment the traffic conditions improved, Guo Ling felt relieved and temporarily forgot the uncertainties and challenges he would soon face.

But in the blink of an eye he returned to reality.

Old Liu in the passenger seat shifted and said quietly, "It seems our Wuming City can't escape its fate of collapse... Look, beyond Sanduping, everything becomes desolate. How can we rely on Sanduping alone? A single flower doesn't make a forest; a riot of color makes spring. I really hope this 'unification' plan can help us find a way out."

Guo Ling could only respond with one sentence: "Alas, people are the butchers and I am the meat... Oh, no, I am the butcher and I am also the meat, people are just watching the fun."

Zhu Tong asked from the back seat: "What do you mean by those words?"

Fan Ting said, "Little boy, they are showing off their knowledge, commonly known as pretending to be cool. However, you still have to study hard so that when you grow up you can also show off your knowledge."

"..."

The car drove upstream along a big river, passed the riverside square, passed Jingqi Road, passed the library, and passed the last large residential area before entering the northwest area. The surroundings became completely deserted.

The dim lights barely illuminated the road. Beyond the sidewalks on both sides were dark trees and the ruins of some buildings. Those buildings seemed to have been there in ruins since the "singularity moment". They existed in reality, but there was no sense of existence at all.

The loudest sound coming from all around was the sound of rushing water in a big river.

There were a few cars on the road, and even fewer pedestrians, unless they happened to pass by a rickety bus stop.

Only three or two people would gather on the platform waiting for the train, but the total number would not exceed five.

Guo Ling thought silently, "The last time Zhong Chenmu and I came here to search for the source of a great river, it didn't seem so bleak. Could it be that the weather has become colder?"

He was a little worried that in such cold weather, if they really wanted to establish a base in Ma'anshan, heating would be the biggest challenge.

In his impression, the only indoor places that could be used were the City God Temple and the dilapidated Guandi Temple halfway up the mountain.

Other than that, we can only sleep under the sky.

Fan Ting in the back seat seemed to have the same feeling as him. She hugged Zhu Tong beside her, as if she was afraid that she would be cold.

"Sister Fan, why are you hugging me suddenly?"

"Because I suddenly realized you're so cute. Not only do I want to hug you, I also want to kiss you!"

Old man Liu looked at the interaction between the two women, one big and one small, in the back seat through the rearview mirror, and suddenly his eyes became a little moist.

This is the family happiness in his memory, but how long has it been since he saw his children and grandchildren in person?

Just as he was immersed in this quiet and sentimental mood, he suddenly heard Guo Ling's servile voice coming from the left: "Old Liu, regarding tools, I just suddenly thought of a good idea."

Old Man Liu was a little angry and asked unhappily, "What's the good idea?"

Guo Ling said, "Since we don't know how 'weapons' are made, and there's a high probability that they aren't found in Wuming City, there's no need to dwell on them. It's only exhausting to rack our brains. It's better to just use local materials. Look, there are trees all around us. We can make so many tools! These tools can actually be used as weapons, although their power may be far less than those mentioned in the book."

Fan Ting interrupted from behind, "Do we really have to go this far? Fighting and killing... Isn't love and peace good enough?"

"It's not that we don't want love and peace. Aren't love and peace good? It's that they don't like it. It seems that regardless of whether they are human or not, they all like to watch the fun. As long as other people's fun has nothing to do with them, they want it to be as intense as possible. This is simply an irrefutable truth throughout the universe..."

"Is it possible to talk to them again? Do they really have to kill each other? Although Captain Zhong's plan sounds like it can ensure that no one will be hurt, who can say when it comes to actual implementation?"

"The weapon of criticism cannot replace the criticism of weapons." Old man Liu said from the side.

The whole car was silent.

Guo Ling and Fan Ting were stunned, feeling that this sentence seemed familiar. As for Zhu Tong, he didn't understand it at all, but just thought it sounded like a jingle.

As if anticipating this situation, Old Man Liu slowly asked and answered himself, "What does this mean? It means we can't just negotiate without strength. Why can't we just accept the Hydrogen Clan's 'Reunification' plan? Why isn't there even a shred of room for negotiation? It's because the gap in strength between us and them is so great that we can only rely on their mercy for a glimmer of hope. In fact, isn't the reason we can sit here, chat, and even envision a better life at the moment of singularity precisely because of their mercy? Otherwise, we might have already faded into the void of the universe. Of course, having weapons without criticism, or simply having strength without good communication, is wrong, but that's not the main problem we face right now."

Zhu Tong seemed to understand what was said, but Guo Ling and Fan Ting did understand.

Guo Ling said, "Yes, so we must first make tools. Just having a base is not enough."

Fan Ting curled her lips: "Are all you men like this? Always thinking about fighting and killing."

"Hey, don't make gender attacks..." Guo Ling was just about to make an explanation when he saw several figures appear in the halo of car lights in front of him on the road.

They stood straight in the middle of the road, showing no sign of moving aside because of the approaching car.

When two brave men meet on a narrow road, the braver one wins. Guo Ling could only step on the brakes.

The car body shook violently and stopped, accompanied by harsh tire noise.

"You..." Guo Ling was about to roll down the car window and curse, but he saw the headlights shining on a graceful body.

With the help of the light from the street lamp above his head, he could see that this was a woman of medium build, with fair skin and delicate features.

It looks familiar.

It's Thermidor!

Guo Ling smiled, turned around and said to Fan Ting, "Who said women aren't aggressive? Look at what she's holding in her hand?"

Fan Ting looked closely and saw that Reyue was holding a pointed wooden spear in his hand.

There were four or five young people standing behind her, both men and women.

Old Man Liu became nervous: "What is she doing standing in the middle of the road? Robbering us?"

Guo Ling frowned. "It shouldn't be that serious... But we should be cautious. Don't get out of the car yet. Roll down the window and have a chat."

After that, he turned to Fan Ting and said, "Look at the little boy."

Then, roll down the driver's and passenger windows.

Seeing Guo Ling cautiously sticking his head out of the car window, Reyue smiled sweetly, "Don't be nervous, everyone. We have no ill intentions. We are waiting here to welcome you to join us. From now on, we are a team."